1. Field of Invention
The present invention concerns a ventilated footpad or shoe sole that promotes air flow to the feet for ventilation.
2. Description of Prior Art
Footwear has traditionally been designed to protect the wearer's feet from heat, cold, and trauma. The modern consumer expects to take long walks without suffering foot fatigue or irritation. Another important function of modern footwear is to provide cushion support so that the wearer can walk, run, and jump with minimal impact upon joints and vertebrae. However, despite having all these needs met, the modern consumer is still unsatisfied with the lack of ventilation to the feet that is prevalent in modern footwear.
The skin of the human foot exudes perspiration, as well as odors, in varying degrees, depending upon such factors as temperature of the ambient, the amount of physical activity being performed, and the natural propensity of the particular person to perspire. The comfort and health of the human foot is greatly influenced by the rate of evaporation of the perspiration generated as a result of movement and/or physical exercise. Thus, the restrictive nature of the modern footwear promotes offensive foot odor due to lack of ventilation. This problem has been acknowledged by footwear designers and has been addressed with varying degrees of failure in many different ways over the past decades.
One way of providing more ventilation to the feet is with soles and footpads that employ various interconnected pumping chambers, bladders, valves, jets, tubes, orifices, and the like. Patents exemplifying this approach include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,180,039; 3,225,463; 4,215,492; 4,499,672; 4,654,982; 4,760,651; 4,776,109; 4,860,463; 5,010,661; 5,224,277; 5,282,324; 5,341,581; 5,606,806; 5,787,609; 5,809,665; 5,815,949; 5,813,141; and 5,826,349. These patents, for the most part, teach products that use the motion of the feet while walking to agitate or exchange air surrounding the foot.
Another approach attempted several times is to use compressible supporting structures situated in a space defined between the upper and lower layers of a footpad or insole. Patents teaching this approach include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,716,930; 4,223,455; 4,364,186; 4,590,689; 4,674,203; 4,9110,882; 5,035,068; 5,619,809; 5,669,161; 5,675,914; and 5,845,418.
A third approach involves the use of ribs, heads, liquid cells, knobs, or nipples to ventilate. Patents that teach this approach include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,685,224; 4,831,749; 5,167,999; 5,607,749; and 5,694,705.
Despite the vast number of approaches, the need persists for improved soles and footpads which deliver proper ventilation to the feet while providing support for walking, shock absorption, and comfortable static support. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.